This case rocks! WirelessGround sent us over one of their brand new aluminum cases for the Sidekick 3 to check out. This thing was well designed and feels like it would protect your Sidekick 3 incredibly well. The outside of the case is obviously aluminum but inside there is a nice layer of neoprene that keeps your Sidekick snug and cushions it from any unexpected blows.

Squeezing it into the snug fit, we had to be careful not to push any buttons, but once it was in there, it wasn’t going anywhere no matter how much we shook it. The top flips down and over the screen, latching it closed. There’s a great screen protector that will protect your screen from getting any scratches. All the openings for the buttons are the perfect size, even for me with my big thumbs. I was able to pick up my Sidekick and browse around just like normal.

For those that are fans of belt clipped cases this is a great one. There’s an extra piece that you screw into the hole that you see on the back and attach the strongest swivel belt clip I’ve ever seen.

If you’re not a fan of belt clips, then you can just leave it off. The case is still slim enough to toss into a pocket without it being bulky. And the best things about it riding in your pocket is now the screen is protected and no more accidental button pushes! No longer will your friends get calls from your pants.

After browsing around a bit with the Sidekick 3 in the case I soon needed to respond to an IM and went to flip the screen like I normally do. Of course this wasn’t possible and I thought “Oh great, here’s the downside to this case, I have to take it out to type!” But the design of this case allows you to flip the top, and flip the screen without removing the Sidekick from the case! When you’re done typing, flip the screen and flip the top closed. Quick and easy and your Sidekick never leaves the case so it’s always protected.

All in all we give this case two big thumbs up. If you’re looking for a stylish case that will protect your device better than anything else out there, you can’t beat this one. If you want to check out more info and order one, check them out: Sidekick 3 Aluminum Cases

Looking for an extra battery? Looks like TMobile has started selling them for $69.99. A bit pricey, but if you need one, you need one. Looks like these are fresh on the site, as they’re giving a processing errors when trying to select them. By the time you read this, it’ll probably be fixed though.

We took a quick look for some new Sidekick 3 skins and found a ton of them that are available now! As always, all the skins on one page can be found on our Sidekick 3 Skins page. Here’s the new stuff we’ve found:

Sidekick 3 Ace heart Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Ace Heart S. Rhinestone Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Ace Spade S. Rhinestone Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Black & White Heart pattern Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Basketball Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Black Dice Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Blue Glitter Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Bright Orange Glitter Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Bright Purple Heart Pattern Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Carbon Fiber Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Carbon Fiber Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Colorful Arygle Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Colorful Pattern Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Fashion patter Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Fashion Pattern Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Fashion Pattern Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Fashion Pattern Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Fashion Pattern Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Fashion Pattern Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Fashion Pattern Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Flame Mustang Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Flame Tribal Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Flower & Butterfly Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Flower Friendship Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Flower Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Flower Glitter & S. Rhinestone Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Flower Pattern S. Rhinestone Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Gel Balck S. Rhinestone Skin
Sidekick 3 Heart Pattern Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Hot Pink S. Rhinestone Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Pink Buterfy Rhinestone Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Radiation sign Gel Skin

Thanks to the fine folk at Incipio for hooking us up with a prototype of the new Sidekick 3 carrying case they’re coming out with. I dropped my Sidekick 3 into it right away to give it a try.

Let me start by saying I’m not normally a “carrying case person.” My Sidekick usually rides in my pocket, with a screen protector (after I make sure to lock it so noone gets a call from my pants). As far as cases go, I liked the Incipio design. It’s a horizontal case, made of leather, with contrasting stitching and a magnetic clasp. The magnetic clasp is so much better than velcro, especially when you’re in a meeting and sneaking the Sidekick out. The magnet isn’t super strong, so it’s easy to undo, but strong enough to keep your SK3 well situated should you bend down or something.

The prototype has a nice snug fit, but not too tight. Anyone that got the OEM Sidekick II cases knows how much of a pain it is when your phone doesn’t slide in and out easily. These cases were custom designed around the Sidekick 3 so the case takes into account the form factor of the device. One small detail that pointed this out to me was the ease it was to quickly “thumb” the device out through the hole in the bottom. As I mentioned, this was a prototype and I was told the fit wasn’t perfect yet so they were still tweaking it. Seemed pretty good to me, so I can only imagine the final product is better.

The carrying case also comes with two small pockets on the inside for carrying extra miniSD cards. So for those that can’t fit all their music on a 2gb card, you can carry an extra 4gb (or 8gb when the 4gb miniSDs arrive) waiting to be swapped out.

Do you remember how the Sidekick II had the rubber bumpers? This made it excellent for leaning up against things. At work I would always set my Sidekick II upright, leaning against my monitor so I knew if I got a message when it was on silent. The rubber bumpers were just enough resistance to keep it upright. I was disappointed when I found that my Sidekick 3 was not so easy to keep upright like this. With Incipio’s case, problem solved! Remove your Sidekick 3 and flip the screen, tuck the magnetic clasp and slide it back in as shown in the photo. the angle of the belt clip keeps it upright stylishly. I’m hoping they’re all like this, but if not all it should take is a small bend in the end of the belt clip with a pair of plyers.

The only downside, and it was just me being picky, I found to the carrying case was the location of the charging plug. When the device is all the way in the case, the side blocks access to the plug. Simple enough fix though, simply slide the device up a millimeter or two, and easy access. Alternatively, slide it into the case upside down. The USB port is easily accessible though, for when you need to dump some new MP3s onto your Sidekick.

The Sidekick II cases from Incipio are already available and are the same quality. The Sidekick 3 actually fits in them, but is a bit harder to get out without hitting the shoulder buttons. The Sidekick 3 carrying cases should be available soon. They’ll come in an assortment of colors, so you’re not necessarily stuck with black. We’ve been told to expect Black, Red, Pink,
Grey, and Bone White. Click to jump to Incipio’s Sidekick Case page and check them out.

Now that everyone and their brother is getting a Sidekick 3, it’s time to customize yours! Skins for the Sidekick 3 are already out on the market. If you are or know someone that’s making skins, cases, accessories, etc for the Sidekick 3, drop us an email at admin@hiptop3.com. Here are some skins we found on Amazon:

Sidekick 3 T.M. Gel Skin (Scarface)	Sidekick 3 Tiger & Dragon Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Flame Tribal Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Pink Cat Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Blue Cute Monkey Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Pink Cute Monkey Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 America Eagle Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 America Flag & Eagle Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Baby Pink Glitter Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Hot Pink Princess Gel Skin
Sidekick 3 Matelic Rose Glitter Gel Skin	Sidekick 3 Pink Buterfy Rhinestone Gel Skin

So you’re having bad battery life on your brand new Sidekick 3. Before you open your mouth and start complaining, give this a try:

Charge the battery fully

Allow the battery to drain completely (play some mp3s, do a lot of web browsing, keep the backlight on for 5 minutes, etc. to make it drain quickly)

Enjoy the depressing low battery alarm

Charge the battery fully to 100%

Rinse and Repeat…

We tried this and noticed a significant increase in battery life right away. We got to 12+ hours with heavy internet usage all day long. One thing we did notice but aren’t sure of the validity: When indoors and with a bad signal, it seems the battery drains more quickly as it searches for a tower.

On a similar note, yes you will see the battery having weird percentages sometimes after charging. Ours likes to show more than 400%. Either reboot the device (1+@+0 at the same time) or plug/unplug a charger and if should go back to normal.

Finally, hang tight, since the battery is now removable, there are companies out there working on extended life batteries that will keep you going for much longer. Be prepared to drop a few $$s for them though.

Thanks to some quick shipping upgrade (left PA at 1am, got here around 7pm Eastern same day) I have a Sidekick 3 in my hands after all these months. Check out the obsessive compulsive unboxing photos here. What does everyone think so far?

In case you’re looking for the hookup on some Bluetooth headsets for use with the Sidekick 3, here’s some cool ones available on Amazon for decent prices. These prices will beat just about anything you’ll find in a store, so order quick and make sure your miniSD card and Bluetooth headset get shipped so you have them when your Sidekick 3 arrives. We recommend the first Jabra with changable face plates. No bumpers on the Sidekick 3, so at least customize your headset.

Amazon has got some great deals going on with some miniSD cards I found. I ordered mine. 2gigs of mp3s will be in my Sidekick next week!

Or if you prefer name brand for a few extra bucks: